Open-mesh fabric



KQAQQLQAQAQQAQQQQ May 29, 1956 M. sADlNoFF Erm. 2,747,392

OPEN-MESH FABRIC Max Sadinoif and Abe Holtz, New York, N. Y.

Application June 22, 1954, Serial No. 438,366

2 Claims. (Cl. 66-193) This invention relates to textile fabrics, and more particularly to a type of open-mesh or net fabric especially adapted for use as a curtain material or for purposes where a strong, resilient fabric, open-mesh, of substantial tensile strength is required.

Many types of open-mesh or net fabrics, such as are employed for making curtains or like articles, are subject to easy distortion or breakage when pull or strain is imposed upon them. Since curtain materials of this character are often subjected to some stress, it is apparent that the appearance of a curtain will be materially impaired by distortion of the fabric or by breakage of the threads thereof. Distortion and thread breakage under strain are often caused by the manner of interengagement or interlock of the warp and weft threads. In some instances a bight or lock is formed around one or more of the threads by a thread extending cross- Wisely of it, and hence when pull or strain is imposed on the fabric, breaking of one or more of the threads easily occurs.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an open-mesh or net fabric having co-operating warp and weft threads arranged in such relationship that when pull or stretch is imposed upon the fabric, the fabric will elastically expand and the avoidance of breaking strain upon the various threads will be had.

it is an object of the invention to make a fabric of this character of extraordinary tensile strength due to the arrangement of the several threads which compose the body of the fabric and which are arranged for elongation without the imposition of breaking strain on the same. It is an object of the invention to provide an improved method of knitting a fabric composed of threads arranged as above stated.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the arrangement of a plurality of knitted chain warp threads arranged in substantially parallel and spaced relation and connected by a plurality of undulating or serpentine weft threads arranged to zig-zag back and forth between the adjacent chain warps and interengage with the loops thereof. This arrangement is such as to permit of extensibility of the fabric without permanent distortion and without the imposition of breaking strain.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, l have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

Fig. l is a face view of a section of net or open-mesh fabric constructed in accordance with the invention, and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a short length of one of the chain warp threads showing how the undulated or serpentine weft threads interengage with the same.

Referring to the drawing, the chain warp threads of the fabric are indicated at 1, and the same extend for the length of the fabric piece in uniformly spaced, and substantially parallel, relationship. These warp threads nitcd States Patent O Mice are of conventional chain stitch type as produced by a known type of knitting machine.

During the production of `the chain warps 1, the undulating or serpentine weft threads, indicated respectively at 2 and 3, are produced by needles in the machine which carry these threads from one chain warp to the other and back again with a zig-zag motion relatively to the chain warps, and interengage the serpentine weft threads 2 and 3 with the loops of the chain warps. This will be apparent from Fig. 2, in which a relatively loose engagement of the parts of the threads 1, 2 and 3 is shown for the purposes of illustration. It will be therein observed that the undulations of the weft threads 2 and 3 are engaged near their apices or bights 4 and 6 respectively, by the loops 5 of the chain warps.

The serpentine weft threads 2 and 3 thus serve as undulated connecting elements between the several chain warps, the threads 2 and 3 being engaged with the chain warp threads 1 in a manner to maintain the warps in their uniformly spaced relation, but without forming locking bights around the warps in a manner to cause breakage of the same or of the weft threads when the fabric is under strain. Since the serpentine weft threads 2 and 3 extend in the same longitudinal direction as the warp threads, there is no transverse crossing of those threads with the warp chains in a manner to cause a positive interlock between the warp and weft threads. As a result, there is considerable freedom of movement between the warp and weft threads and distortion and pull on the threads is materially reduced.

Due to the zig-zag formation of the weft threads 2 and 3 it will be apparent that the same can tend to straighten under pull and thus a material elasticity of give will be found present in the fabric. Upon the release of pull or strain on any area of the fabric the weft threads will revert to their normal positions and the fabric assume its undistorted shape.

It will be observed that in the arrangement disclosed, the two weft threads 2 and 3 are arranged to cross one another between the warp chains, and an attractive effect is thus presented.

While I have herein suggested that the open-mesh or net fabric herein disclosed is particularly suitable for curtain or similar material, it will be apparent that this is merely a suggested use since it will be obvious that a material of this kind is capable of use for many different purposes.

Having described a single embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

What we claim is:

l. An open-mesh or net fabric having a plurality of knitted warp chain threads, there being located between each pair of chain threads a plurality of undulated serpentine unknitted threads which zig-zag back and forth between the warp threads and engage with the loops thereof, one of the serpentine threads situated between each pair of warp chains having undulations which cross those of a second serpentine thread located between the same pair of warp threads, the warp chains engaging with the serpentine threads at the apices thereof.

2. An open-mesh or net fabric having a plurality of spaced-apart, parallel, knitted chain warps, a serpentine unknitted thread extending longitudinally of the fabric and arranged to zig-zag back and forth between each pair of parallel chain warps, a second serpentine unknitted thread also arranged in zig-zag fashion between each pair of chain warps, each of said serpentine threads having portions angularly extending between the chain warps, said portions of one of the serpentine threads crossing the similar portions of the other serpentine thread at points between the chain warps, the chain warps being in engagement with the serpentine threads at the apices of said threads, the threads in the pair of serpentine threads that extend between one pair of chain warps having apices meeting apices of those in the pair of serpentine threads that extends between an adjacent pair of chain warps.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Smith Mar. 4, 1890 Ward Nov. 26, 1895 Woodcock Feb. 23, 1897 Branson June 6, 1916 Schloss Nov. 16, 1920 Goldsmith Sept. 30, 1947 Carney Feb. 13, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Canada Mar. 29, 1949 

